Disk drive system

A disk drive comprising:

• a disk drive base;
• a disk rotably mounted to the disk drive base;
• an actuator pivotably mounted to the disk drive base, the actuator including a flexible printed
• circuit (FPC) that includes a plurality of electrically conductive FPC bond pads;
• and
• at least one head gimbal assembly attached to the actuator, the at least one head gimbal assembly comprising
• a read head;
• and
• a suspension assembly that comprises
• a load beam, and
• a laminate flexure that includes a tongue portion that connects to the read head and a flexure tail that extends to a flexure tail bonding region that overlaps the FPC, the laminate flexure comprising a conductive layer that is metallic and that includes a plurality of electrically conductive traces that are elongated and narrow and electrically connected to the read head, a structural layer that is metallic and stiffer than the conductive layer, a first dielectric layer between the structural layer and the conductive layer, and a second dielectric layer that substantially covers the conductive layer in the flexure tail bonding region;
• wherein the structural layer includes a plurality of flexure bond pads in the flexure tail bonding region, each of the plurality of flexure bond pads in the structural layer being aligned with, facing, and being bonded to a corresponding one of the plurality of FPC bond pads;
• and
• wherein each of the plurality of flexure bond pads is electrically connected to a corresponding one of the plurality of electrically conductive traces by one of a first plurality of vias through the first dielectric layer.